A (Fourth Raikage)
}} The current Raikage is the leader of Kumogakure. He is also the older brother of Killer Bee, the jinchūriki of the Eight-Tailed Giant Ox. It is hinted that Killer Bee, and therefore the Raikage as well, comes from the Yotsuki clan. Knowing Yugito Nii's and Killer Bee's immense powers if they were to ever transform into their full demon forms, he forbade them from doing so. Appearance The current Raikage has a lot of similarities with his younger brother. He is a tall dark-skinned man with a large muscular build, slicked-back white hair, a few wrinkles, and a small moustache and beard. As of chapter 464, the Raikage has lost his left forearm from just under the elbow; due to his left arm being burned by the inextinguishable black flames of Amaterasu inflicted by Sasuke during their bout, the Raikage was forced to amputate it before it spread. Unlike other Kages, the Raikage seems to wear his Kage cloak and hat on a regular basis, without a shirt underneath which further displays his hulky physique. He has black shuriken tattooed on both shoulders. On each wrist he has gold bangle bracelets, which seems to have protrusions that can jut out when he attacks,Naruto - Chapter 462, Page 7 and has a gold belt on his waist with a lion's face engraved in the center. All of these aspects combined gives the current Raikage the appearance of a professional wrestler. Personality He is very caring and protective towards his younger brother, despite Killer Bee's status as a jinchūriki, and wept at the idea of his younger brother being captured by Akatsuki. However, when Killer Bee's ploy to use the affair to have a vacation, the Raikage was furious, and swore to punish his little brother for it. He is also headstrong and easily excited, smashing a desk apart when news of his brother being captured arrived. He also burst through a palace wall (probably from inside his own office too) to attend the Kage Summit. His assistant implied that this wasn't the first time. This suggests that he is quite destructive while in this mental state. He also has a very stern and decisive personality, seemingly unaffected by Naruto's pleas for Sasuke's life. In his eyes, respect and strength mean everything in the ninja world. He believes that the weak should and will be crushed. This correlates with his philosophy that a ninja should never compromise or bow down in front of another ninja. The Raikage has also been shown to be very suspicious of the other ninja villages, accusing all of them of working with Akatsuki and questioning their loyalties. In battle, the Raikage is shown to be physically brutal, as he uses extreme physical force to devastate his opponents, and is willing to sacrifice a limb, rather than lose a chance to defeat his opponents. Part II Invasion of Pain arc The Raikage is first seen enraged by news of Killer Bee's capture by Akatsuki. When he learns that the culprit was Sasuke Uchiha, a missing-nin from Konoha, he complained about why the Hokage had not dealt with him, compared to how fast they had dealt with the Hyuga Incident.Naruto chapter 417, page 13 With Killer Bee's capture coming so soon after that of Yugito, the Raikage calls for a meeting of the five Kage to discuss Akatsuki. He also instructs Team Samui to inform Konoha that he will personally deal with Sasuke. Five Kage Summit arc The Raikage departs for the Kage summit with two bodyguards: Darui and Shī. On their way to the Land of Iron they reunite with Team Samui, who provides them with information on Sasuke acquired in Konoha. Shi quickly discovers that Team Samui has been followed by Naruto Uzumaki. The Raikage keeps his men from attacking Naruto and agrees to listen to what he has to say. Naruto pleads for the Raikage to spare Sasuke, but his request is flatly refused and the Raikage berates him for sticking up for a criminal. Once the Kage summit gets underway, the Raikage quickly shows his disapproval of the other villages by smashing the table in front of him, prompting all of the bodyguards to come to theirs Kage's aid. After they return to their position the Raikage points out that only Kumogakure has never had an Akatsuki representative, nor has it ever employed Akatsuki for a battle. He insinuates that the current Hokage, Danzo, used Akatsuki to dispose of the Third Hokage and the Fourth Kazekage. When Danzo is nominated for leading a joint taskforce to deal with Akatsuki, the Raikage is outraged. Before he can raise much of an objection, however, Zetsu appears and tells those in attendance that Sasuke is nearby. The Raikage and his bodyguards immediately mobilize to go after Sasuke. They are drawn to Taka's battle with the Land of Iron's samurai, and after Shī tells him that the chakra are straight below them the Raikage bursts through the floor where they encounter Sasuke and his team. The Raikage easily destroys Suigetsu's sword and Jugo transforms to the second stage of his Cursed Seal he starts a fight with him. Although Jugo initially appears to have the advantage, the Raikage is able to punch a hole through his arms and into his chest and evade his attacks, before finally defeating him. Sasuke and the Raikage begin fighting. With his Lightning Release Armor, the Raikage avoids most of Sasuke's attacks, deflecting his lightning charged sword and is barely wounded by his Chidori. He delivers a series of physical attacks to Sasuke, but the final assault is negated as Sasuke uses an incomplete Susanoo to protect himself. Sasuke attacks with Amaterasu, which the Raikage dodges, and then coats his Susanoo with Amaterasu's flames to deter additional physical attacks. In his growing rage the Raikage ignores this and attacks through the flames, causing his left arm to catch flame, but still smashes through the defense and hits Sasuke. When the Raikage prepares another "final blow" Sasuke begins staging a counterattack, but the Kazekage, Gaara, intervenes using his sand to block another clash between the two. The Raikage is angered by the interruption, but Gaara states that continuing his attack would only cause additional injury. While Gaara speaks with Sasuke, the Raikage severs his arm and instructs Shi to stop the bleeding with his medical ninjutsu so that he can rejoin the battle. After Sasuke uses Susanoo to destroy the pillars and cause the ceiling to collapse, the Raikage uses his lightning-fast speed to crush the falling pieces of the ceiling. However, Sasuke used this as a diversion, to which the Raikage exclaims that he and the rest of his allies should chase him down. He later learns from Madara Uchiha that his brother is still alive, which both shocks and angers him. He realizes what Bee's plan actually was and says he'll punish him with his "Iron Claw". Abilities Being the leader of his entire village, the Raikage is undoubtedly a powerful shinobi. His younger brother Killer Bee also mentioned in the fight with Sasuke that, before him, only the Raikage was able to deflect the Eight-Tails. Karin notes that the Raikage's chakra level is comparable to that of a tailed beast.Naruto - Chapter 463, page 9 Immense Physical Prowess The Raikage is physically very strong, as he first appeared lifting a large amount of weight with just one hand, and broke his desk with a single punch. His strength is further displayed at the Five-Kage summit when he punches through a wall, the floor, and even snapping Suigetsu's sword in two (albeit the sword already had a partial crack in it from Suigetsu's duel with Killer Bee). The Raikage was also able to punch a hole in Jugo's arm and chest with ease, despite the latter being armored with his Level 2 Cursed Seal transformation. Despite his large physique, the Raikage is noted for being very fast, grabbing Zetsu's throat before he has a chance to react. Befitting his appearance, the Raikage seems to prefer taijutsu combat to which he has shown tremendous prowess at. In addition to powerful punches, he is shown able to use equally impressive throws and take-downs. He prefers using wrestling techniques to more traditional forms of taijutsu. He is shown to have an immense tolerance for pain, as he was able to withstand having his arm set on fire by Amaterasu and cutting it off without flinching.Naruto - Chapter 464, Page 06 Elemental techniques On top of his physical capabilities the Raikage is also skilled in lightning-based jutsu, releasing a continuous surge of electricity from his body when confronting Sasuke. This electricity acts as a compliment to the Raikage's natural physical strength and speed to the point where he claims not even the Sharingan should be able to keep up with his movements. This is due to electricity stimulating his nervous system and speeding up his neural synapses, amplifying his reflexes.Naruto - Chapter 462, Page 03 While using this ability, he is able to dodge Jugo's multiple chakra blast and Amaterasu, both at point blank range. His speed is so great in this state, that it was mentioned by Shi that the Raikage's nervous system and reaction speed becomes comparable to that of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. The electricity can also work as a powerful defense. By momentarily increasing the electrical surge, the Raikage was able to deflect a strike from Sasuke's Kusanagi Sword: Chidori Katana from behind Naruto - Chapter 462, Pages 16-17 and receive only a minor wound on his chest from a direct Chidori strike. With combining his lightning power with the full force of his chakra, its sheer energy will demolish all matter around him. He has also shown the ability to use the focus lightning chakra into a sharp enough point to neatly cut through human limbs.Naruto - Chapter 464, Page 06 Trivia * Among the five Kage present at the Summit, the Raikage is the only one without any special traits such as Kekkei Genkai or tailed beast skills. References he:ראיקאגה